Do you think winter storms will end and make it possible for Marshall University to play its March 6 baseball home opener against Rhode Island in Huntington?

Featured Links

Marshall women top Ball State, 70-45

HUNTINGTON -- Marshall University women's basketball used double-figure scoring from four players and a relentless effort on defense Saturday in a 70-45 win over Ball State in Cam Henderson Center.

"This feels good," first-year Thundering Herd coach Matt Daniel said. "I told them this can feel normal. We had three goals. Play as hard as we could, positive energy and play with purpose. We had a great attitude. We grew as the game went on. I'm proud of that body of work."

Attendance was 386 for the game played following Marshall's football victory over Houston.

Forward Orlandria Williams led the Herd (2-1) with 18 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. She hit four straight 3-point shots in the first half to help Marshall build a 35-21 lead at halftime.

"In practice, coach (Daniel) has always told me not to hesitate," Williams said. "So today I came into the game with the mindset to shoot any open ball the defense gives me. Basically, I ended up open most of the time, so I took the three and it was dropping for me."

Chukwuka Ezeigbo, a 6-foot-3 center, contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds for her first career double-double. Suporia Dickens also grabbed 12 rebounds for Marshall which enjoyed a resounding 56-20 edge. The Herd had 31 on the offensive end leading to a 26-11 advantage in second-chance points.

"Rebounding is key," Ezeigbo said. "Make space and get the ball. This is what we work for in practice. It's worth the effort."

On Monday, Indiana State won the rebound battle, 38-36, and the game, 55-49.

"That's one of the first things we worked on (in practice)," Daniel said. "The effort was better. In the first half, we'd rebound and dribble out. (In the second half) I told them go get it and score."

Norrisha Victrum and Leandra King chipped in with 10 points each for the Herd.

Shay Weaver hit a layup with 18:09 left in the first half to give the Herd a 6-4 lead and the home team remained in front the rest of the way. Ball State (0-3) made just 11 of 44 shots (25 percent). From behind the arc, the Cardinals went 0-for-10. The Herd limited the visitors to seven points in the first 12 minutes of the second half and extended its lead to 54-28.

Ball State showed the Herd different looks on defense, but Daniel said his squad worked to find the best shots.

"Our scheme can be confusing," he said. "They tried to keep us off balance. Our ability to handle that, relate and put people in the right spots is important. Our demeanor was different. Today we were more focused. As a group, we did what was needed. We played for the names on the front of the jersey, not on the back."

Ball State leads the all-time series 10-6, but Marshall has now won three straight in the series.

Marshall returns to action over Thanksgiving Weekend at the Texas A&M Classic in College Station, Texas. The Herd will play Marquette on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Southern on Sunday at noon.

Marshall has a shorter bench now. Jasmine Shaw and Shynisha Johnson have been dismissed from the team. Daniel said the players were missed for violating team rules.

Comments

The Herald-Dispatch welcomes your comments on this article, but please be civil. Avoid profanity, obscenity, personal attacks, accusations of criminal activity, name-calling or insults to the other posters. Herald-dispatch.com does not control or monitor comments as they are posted, but if you find a comment offensive or uncivil, hover your mouse over the comment and click the X that appears in the upper right of the comment. If you do not want your comment to post to your personal Facebook page, uncheck the box below the comment.